A Silent Goodbye
by belladonna2648
Summary: (After GITF) After the Doctor leaves Rose and Mickey for Madame de Pompadour, Rose is heartbroken and decides to leave the Doctor. What happens when he finds her again? Is he too late and has she fallen in love with someone else?
1. Chapter 1: Goodbye Doctor

**This story was inspired by the song by Reba McIntire: Consider Me Gone. After the events of The Girl In The Fireplace, Rose is so heartbroken she decides to leave the Doctor. When the Doctor finally finds her again, he thinks he's too late. Hope you like it…**

Rose lay in her bed, face buried in her pillow…sobbing at the broken heart she now had. Hours earlier, Rose thought she had lost the Doctor. He had left her and Mickey on a ship in the middle of space with no way or returning and no idea of how they would return home. Her world was shattered. She had thought she had meant more to the Doctor, but when he so willingly crashed through a mirror to save some French courtesan…well, she was proven wrong. She felt foolish. Foolish for thinking she meant something to him, foolish for allowing herself to show how much she cared, and foolish for hoping he would want to be with her after he finally came back. He didn't want to be with her. In fact, the moment he had returned, he immediately went back to France for her. After seeing the Doctor's heartbroken face when he realized she had died, Rose was grateful to Mickey when he pulled her out of the control room. She wasn't sure if she could handle being his comfort device when he was pining away for another woman. Now, Rose knew where she stood…knew what she was too him. Simply…a travel buddy. But no, not even that was right…because you don't leave your buddies behind to die. And that's just what he did…left them behind to die with no means of getting home. Mickey had stayed with Rose for a while in hopes of being some comfort to her, but when it hadn't seemed to work, he knew she would rather be alone.

After having a good, long wallow in her room, Rose had one tiny piece of hope left in her. Maybe if she just went to the Doctor and told him how she felt, he would apologize and she might be able to see some resemblance of guilt on his face. If she could tell that he truly felt guilty for his actions, then maybe that meant he did care for her. Rose knew this was another foolish notion, but she had to try. She set off down the hallway in search of the Doctor…looking in every room she possibly thought he might be in. When she still couldn't find him, she decided to go back to the console room…having run out of ideas. Rose walked up to the console and stood in front of the monitor. "Hey, old girl. Can you show me where the Doctor is? Is he ok?" Rose asked the Tardis. At Rose's request, an image of the Doctor popped up on the screen…and it looked like he was really, very not ok. Sitting in front of a large fireplace, in what looked to be the library, sat the Doctor with his chin in his hands…tears streaming down his face. Rose didn't know what he was really so sad about, but all that came to her mind was Madame de Pompadour. She had never seen the Doctor look so heartbroken before, let alone cry. Rarely had she even seen him show other emotions. And there he was…showing emotions…and crying over someone that wasn't her. In that moment, Rose finally understood how insignificant she was to him. How could she ever compete with a woman who was obviously so much more refined and cultured than she was? She decided…she just couldn't stay anymore. Yes, there was one point when she had promised him forever, but that was a different time…a time when she trusted him with her life. That wasn't the case anymore.

Rose walked back to her room, sobbing silently once again. Instead of plopping herself down on her bed again to wallow in her misery, she went straight for her closet and pulled out the large duffle bag she had brought with her. Standing in the middle of her large walk-in closet staring at her bag in hand, she stopped to ask the ship for a favor. "Please, take me home. I can't…I just can't face him again. If I do, then I know I won't be able to... Please, fly me home…and don't let him know. Please?" Rose begged the Tardis. The Tardis hummed back its disapproval. "Please?! I can't say goodbye…not to him. I don't want him to see me like this…" Rose begged again, sobbing still. Giving in to her request, the Tardis hummed it's ok. "One last thing though…don't let him come after me. At least not for a while…years maybe. I just can't do this anymore…" she said to the ship and the ship reluctantly hummed back another ok. Rose made her way around her room, throwing in anything and everything she wanted that reminded her of the happier times. As she sat down on her bed one last time to look around her room, she knew something was off. Sure, she didn't want to face him when she left, but that didn't mean she didn't want to say goodbye. She got up and walked over to a large desk in the corner of her room and sat down, pulled out some paper and a pen and began to write two letters…one to the Doctor and one to Mickey. She knew that she owed Mickey a proper goodbye, but she only knew he would try to convince her to change her mind. Sure, Mickey had always been jealous of her relationship with the Doctor and she knew he always hoped she would leave him, but Mickey also knew how much she cared about the Time Lord and he knew that leaving him would break her heart. Ultimately, Mickey would never truly want her to leave him…not when he knew she loved him. Trying to suck back her tears long enough to get through this, she began to write her letters.

As soon as she lay her pen down, the Tardis let her know that she had silently landed them back at the Powell Estate. Rose walked back to her bed, picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder as she headed to her bedroom door. She opened the door and turned around in the doorway one last time to give her room a final look. She had thought that this ship was her home, but now…she didn't have the heart to stay when she knew how little she meant to it's pilot. Rose shut her bedroom door behind her and headed off down the hallway to the console room…tears once again streaming down her face. Now standing in front of the Tardis doors, she placed a hand on the handle and said a silent goodbye to the ship she had thought she would be in forever. "Goodbye." She whispered as she slowly pushed open the doors in front of her. Trying to build up the courage to take a step, she actually had begun to hope that the Time Lord would come bounding up the ramp behind her and stop her from leaving, but that hadn't happened. Once again, she sadly laughed at her own foolishness. Rose walked through the doors and pulled them closed behind her. Taking a few steps back, she turned around to get one more look at the blue police box that had changed her life. With a deep breath, she turned around and walked away from the Doctor and then box silently disappeared.

As the Doctor placed the letter from Reinette back into his pocket, all he could think about was how much pain he had once again caused to those he loved. She had trusted him and loved him and now, she was just another person that he had to watch die. Even though he didn't feel the same way about her, he still cared for her as a friend and now he was too late to say goodbye. She had died before he could get there and the guilt of the broken promise to show her the stars was eating him alive. In his sadness, he forgot the one person that he cared about most…Rose. Not knowing what to do, the Doctor turned and headed towards the library…the one place he was always able to quiet his thoughts and think. This had always been the room that him and Rose would go to after an especially tough adventure and he half expected to find her in there when he reached the room. When he entered, the fireplace was roaring thanks to the Tardis and the room was empty. Rose was always a comfort to him, but in his state of mind, he was rather glad she wasn't there. He needed to think about the day's events and looking into her eyes, he wouldn't be able to do it clearly…she always had that effect on him.

Sitting in a large chair in front of the fireplace, tears began streaming down his face as he held his head in his hands. When he made the decision to break through the glass to save Reinette, he hadn't even thought about the consequences. He knew he would have no way back, but in the moment it didn't matter to him. He had to be the hero and save the damsel in distress, no matter the consequences. At the time, it seemed like the only option…but he was selfish. In his selfishness, he had forgotten about Rose…what had he done? It was only now that he was starting to worry about what she was thinking. Was she upset with him? Did she hate him? Surely, she had to know why he did it…he had to save Reinette's life. The equivalent of a loud yell sounded in the Doctor's head from the Tardis letting him know he was quiet mistaken. The Tardis had let him know that Rose was very much upset with him. She tried to let him know he needed to go talk to her, but in his stubbornness, he didn't listen. The Doctor needed some time to think things through. He still hadn't really ever admitted to himself just how in love he was with Rose Tyler or how much she had meant to him. It was until he thought he had broken her trust in him, that he started to worry about the consequences of what he had done. After meeting Sarah Jane, he promised her he would never leave her behind like the others…that she meant more to him than that…and he done just what he promised he wouldn't do. He'd left her behind. As the tears fell from his eyes, images of a sobbing and heartbroken Rose flashed in his mind. The idea that he had done that to her, shattered his hearts.

After what felt like hours of being bombarded with mental nudges from the Tardis, the Doctor finally removed his head from his hands and acknowledged the ships calls to get up. His ship was right. He needed to get up, suck it up, and go find Rose. The Doctor set off down the hallway towards Rose's room, in hopes of her being awake so they could talk. He had so much he wanted to say to her, but mostly he wanted to beg her forgiveness before it was too late. He hadn't seen her since he got back on the Tardis after he realized Reinette had died and he was worried that he had broken her trust in him. He always promised he would be there for her, but when he realized that he hadn't even thought about her when he did what he did, he couldn't believe himself. She meant so much more to him than anyone ever had and he left her behind. As he reached her bedroom door, he stood for a moment trying to think of what he would say to her. He still hadn't realized that the images he had seen in his head, were projections of what Rose was going through. What if she was furious with him? What if she yelled at him? Or worse…what if she really was heartbroken? It was true that an angry Rose was not something he liked to see, but a crying Rose was even worse. He slowly removed his hand from his pocket and knocked on her door. "Rose? Are you awake?" he quietly called through the door. "Rose? Can I come in? I want to talk to you…" he said when she didn't respond. Rose not responding to him was not a good sign and he now thought that he was in even more trouble than he realized cause even if she was livid with him, she still acknowledged him. "Rose? Please talk to me. Rose?" When once again she didn't answer, it had dawned on the Doctor that maybe she wasn't in her room.

Standing in the hallway outside of Rose's room, he asked the Tardis for her location. "So then, where is she?" he asked his ship. A hum from the Tardis told him to head to the console room. As he made his way down the hallway, hope began to build inside him. If Rose was in the console room, then maybe she was waiting for him…maybe she actually did want to talk to him and that was a good sign. However, his hopes were dashed when he reached the console room and did not spot Rose anywhere. "I thought you said she would be here!" he yelled to his ship. Instead of a reply from his ship, an envelope addressed to him appeared on the console in front of him. He swallowed as he saw the handwriting that belonged to Rose. The Doctor's hands began to shake as he opened the letter from Rose and as he read the words on the page, his hearts stopped and he suddenly felt as though his entire world was gone. Rose…was gone.

_My dearest Doctor, _

_I hope the Tardis has been kind enough to make sure this letter finds you. If she has, then I am gone and I have asked the Tardis to take me home. I realized after you left us, just how stupid I was to ever think we were…nevermind. You broke my heart Doctor. And I realized…I can't do this anymore. I can't wait around hoping one day you'll care about me like that…like I did about you. I don't regret one moment of my time with you, but I don't think my heart can take anymore. I've always been honest with you, Doctor, but you're so closed off. You won't talk to me about anything and you shut down instead of opening up, but I deserve some honesty…and you haven't given me that. What you're not saying, Doctor, is coming in loud and clear and I finally understand. I'm never going to mean as much to you as she did. _

_If I'm not the one thing you can't stand to lose, if I'm not that arrow to the hearts of you…if you don't get drunk on my kiss, if you think you can do better than this…then I guess we're done. Let's not drag this on. Consider me gone. Consider me a memory. Consider me the past. Consider me a smile in an old photograph…someone who use to make you laugh. _

_Please, don't come after me Doctor and…have a fantastic life. _

_- Rose_

The world around the Doctor shattered as it sank it. His actions had hurt Rose so deeply, that his worst fear was realized. She couldn't stand to be with him anymore. He lost her…she left. It was only then that the Doctor finally admitted to himself…he loved her and now…he was too late. Knowing he needed to do everything he could to make it up to her and beg her to come back, he set the coordinates into the console for Powell Estate. He tried to get the Tardis to take him back to the moment she had left. He hoped he would find her just as she had stepped out of the Tardis and beg her forgiveness, but the Tardis would not comply. After many minutes of the Tardis refusing to listen, the Doctor was finally able to land her. As he headed towards the Tardis doors, he thanked his ship and opened the doors to step outside. It was only then he realized that the Tardis had not infact listened to him after all. He did not land on the Powell Estate and it most certainly was not the right date either. By the sense of things, the Tardis had landed the Doctor about 5 years into the future…in Cardiff. The Doctor didn't want to be here. He knew that if he had landed too far into the future, it would mean that too much time had passed and Rose might have moved on. He wanted to bolt back into the Tardis and leave before he could see anything…or anyone…before he could change the outcome. However, before he could even turn back towards the doors…he heard the one sound that he feared he would…Rose's laugh.

The Doctor spun around to the right and there she was…even more beautiful than she was before, but the sight before him made the regret and the want to not believe rise in him. There in the distance was Rose Tyler in the arms of…Captain Jack Harkness. As the Doctor watched Rose laugh into his shoulder as Jack picked her up and spin her around, the jealousy began to overwhelm him. That should be him with Rose, not Jack. Just as he was ready to walk up to Rose and pull the two apart, the next sight stopped him in his tracks. Jack leaned forward and kissed Rose. The Doctor felt his hearts drop out of his chest. He was too late. Rose had left him and moved on with her life…and was in love with someone else. The Doctor had lost Rose Tyler.


	2. Chapter 2: Too late

Rose was heartbroken after she left the Doctor and although it was her choice, she still missed him terribly. Still, she had always been an incredibly strong person and she knew she had to get on with her life. Not only for herself, but also to show her family and friends that she could…that she could live a life without him. But most of all, she wanted to show him that she didn't need him. So it wasn't surprising that it didn't take her long to get back on her feet again…only a mere couple of weeks. She couldn't go back to the life she had before the Doctor, so she decided that her time with him might be good for something and used the one connection she could think of. Two weeks after the Tardis had disappeared, two weeks after trying to figure out where her life would go now, that tiny little voice in the back of her mind told her what to do. _"Find me, if you need to one day…find me_." Rose decided to find Sarah Jane Smith.

After a long visit with the only person Rose could think of that might understand what she was going through, Sarah Jane had put Rose in contact with an old friend of hers in UNIT. It didn't take much convincing during her first meeting with the Brigadier before he had offered Rose a job. Sure Sarah Jane had put in a good word, but all Rose had to do was tell him she was a companion of the Doctor's and she was set. Rose began working for UNIT a week later. However, it was during a mission a year later that Rose had discovered she was being sought out. Rose had been standing in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with a gun pointed at her head by a rather nasty Sontaran. She had closed her eyes and had prepared herself for the shot, when she heard a thud. When Rose opened her eyes, the Sontaran was out cold on the floor and standing in front of her with a mallet in his hands was Captain Jack Harkness. "Rose!" he yelled at her as he jumped over the alien and wrapped her in a tight hug, swinging her in the air. "Jack! What are you doing here?!" she said as he slowly set her down on the ground. "Looking for you of course!" he said to her with a smirk. "Wait, how are you even here? The Doctor said you stayed behind…" Rose started. "Oh, it's a long story sweetheart…one that I intend to fill you in on, but first…how about a drink?!" Jack said to Rose as he stuck out his elbow for her to take.

It had taken a good couple of hours and a few pints before Rose and Jack were fully caught up on what had happened since they last saw each other. As it turned out, it was only a few days ago that Jack had heard that Rose Tyler was working for UNIT and set out to find her. "You could have just called me, Jack…" she teased him. "Oh, you know how I like to make an entrance…besides, I got to play the hero!" he said with a smile. It was only then that Jack had informed her that he was immortal and was in fact looking for the Doctor. He was quite surprised when she said she had left him. Before they had parted company, Jack had convinced Rose to leave her job at UNIT and come to work with him at Torchwood. "Why not Rose? After all, it was you and the Doctor that inspired its creation anyway!" he said. "Oh, all right then Jack." Rose finally agreed. It didn't take long for the other members of Jack's team to warm up to Rose…it didn't take long for anyone to warm up to Rose.

Over the next year, tiny sparks had been lit here and there between Jack and Rose. Initially, Rose had shot down all of Jack's advances…just telling herself that it was just Jack being Jack. He'll hit on anything with a pulse. It took Rose a long time to realize that his interest in her was genuine and Rose didn't know what to do. She had always just thought of him as a good friend, despite their initial attraction during their first meeting. After he began traveling with her and the Doctor, she had never really seen him as a romantic interest. However, after working with him and practically living with him every day, things slowly began to change between them. Jack's comments became less sarcastic and more romantic, his touches became slower and softer, and Rose began to notice a look in his eyes when he would look at her…it was a look she thought she used to see when the Doctor looked at her. As soon as Rose put the pieces together, her heart fluttered. The next thing she knew, she was nervous around him…shy even. It didn't take long for Jack to notice the change in Rose either…as soon as he realized she was falling for him, he made his move. It had been a rather long day fighting the usual aliens around town. The rest of the team had headed for home, but Jack and Rose stayed behind to go over some paperwork. When they were finished, Jack had stood up to give Rose a hug before she left his office and let it linger a bit longer than normal. He pulled back from Rose, his arms still wrapped around her, and ran his fingers through her hair. "Jack?" she said to him, noticing that look in his eyes again. He simply smiled at her, leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. Her heart fluttered and her knees went weak. They had been a couple ever since.

On this day, five years after she had left the Doctor, Rose was living a pretty fantastic life. Rose had moved out of her mum's flat and her and Jack had built an apartment of sorts for themselves underneath Torchwood…because nothing else made sense to them. Anything else was too normal. Rose got out of bed in the morning expecting to feel the usual aches and pains of the previous day's events, but was surprised when she felt perfectly normal. Maybe she was just getting used to it, she thought. Maybe she was just building up her strength…it had to happen sometime, right? With Jack still asleep in bed, Rose went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hop in the shower. As Rose was standing in front of the mirror, toothbrush in hand, she gasped at what she saw. With her wet hair wrapped in a towel on top of her head and a make-free face, they were glaring back at her. Her eyes were gold. Rose got closer to the mirror and used her index finger on each hand to poke at her eyes and tug at her lids. How was that possible? A person's eyes don't just change color like that! "Jack!" she yelled from the bathroom. As he entered the bathroom, Jack's face lit up. "Good morning to you too, doll!" he said as he took in the towel that she was wearing, clearly just out of the shower. "Jack!" Rose yelled to him again, panic in her voice. Finally bringing his eyes to her face, Jack saw the horrified look on her face. "What is it Rose? What's wrong?!" he asked her as he stepped forward and rubbed her arm. "Look!" she said as she pointed to her eyes. "Why are your eyes gold Rose?" he asked her hesitantly. "I don't know! Jack, what's happened?" she asked, panicked. "I don't know Rose, but we need to find out. Will you let Owen run some tests on you?" he asked her. Rose nodded her head. "It's ok…we'll find out what's going on." Jack said, trying to comfort her.

After multiple tests and many hours later, Rose had decided she needed some fresh air and decided to for a walk. Rose couldn't go far, her mind too muddled with possibilities to let her feet move, and she began pacing back and forth in front of the Torchwood entrance. Meanwhile, Jack was downstairs hounding Owen to tell him what he had found. Seeing how reluctant Owen was being, Jack knew it had to be something big. "Owen! Tell me right now!" he yelled. "Uh, ok…Jack, well you know I took samples of her blood, DNA, cells…the whole lot. I ran multiple tests and well…" he began nervously. "Well, what?!" Jack yelled. "Well, she seems to be like you…well, not exactly like you, but like you." Owen said. "What do you mean 'like me'?" Jack asked. "Well…she can't die." Owen stated. Jack stumbled backwards at Owen's words. "What…what do you mean she can't die?" he asked. "Well, her cells…it's like they're indestructible. Also, her blood…there's something different about it. I can't quite explain it…her blood is different than yours, but we had the same effect. We ran the same tests on hers that we ran on yours and well…we got the same results. She's not quite like you, but she can't die. I don't know how this happened though. It's like she's not quite human anymore." said Owen. Jack stood there in shock. Rose couldn't die…how? Not human anymore? How was that possible?

He didn't know what to think, what to do. He was starting to panic. They needed to find out what happened to her and how, but where would they start. He couldn't even figure out what had happened to himself, so how was he going to figure out what happened to her? There was only one person he could think of that could help and he knew it was the last person Rose would want to see. Jack needed to find the Doctor, but what would Rose say? She would tell him that there had to be a way to do this without him. Jack knew one thing though…he wouldn't figure anything out by keeping things from her. That is what the Doctor did and look where it got him. Jack stood there, pacing back and forth…trying to think when Gwen brought him out of his thoughts. "Jack? I know you think this is bad, but whatever Owen has found…look at it this way…she's not being taken away from you Jack. She's being given to you. She can't die…just like you. She's gonna be with you for a long time. That's good isn't it?" Gwen asked him. "You don't understand…I can't subject her that…living forever…" and with that, Jack stopped himself. He was starting to sound like the Doctor. He needed to talk to Rose. She needed to know what was happening to her and only when he saw her reaction, would he be able to figure out their next step.

Jack ran out to the lift and took it up to the surface, prepared to run as far as he had to in order to find Rose. He didn't have to go too far when he saw her pacing in front of him. "Rose…" he said as she slowly turned around to see him stepping off of the platform. "Owen find anything yet?" she asked him, her arms wrapped nervously around her. "Ya, he did. We don't know how, but…Rose…it looks like something has changed your physiology." he began slowly. "What does that mean?" she asked, starting to panic. He rubbed one hand down each arm in an attempt to calm her. "It means…it means you won't be able to die. You'll live for a very long time…like me." Jack said as Rose froze, her eyes fixed on his. "W-What? What do you mean I won't die?" she asked him. "We don't know how it happened, but something in your past has started changing your body so you won't die. Kinda of like me or the Doctor. I can never die, whereas he can regenerate and live for a very long time, but ultimately he can die. I don't know if this means you'll live for a very long time or if you're immortal…" he tried to explain. "So am I gonna regenerate? Does that mean I'm a Time Lord or something?" she asked. "Time Lady, but I don't know. You only have one heart…so I don't think so. But you're eyes Rose…they've turned gold. I don't know what that means, but it's not like me or the Doctor." Jack said as Rose tried to process what she was hearing. "Rose, we need to find out what's happened to both of us…and I have a feeling the only person that can help is the Doctor." he reluctantly said to her. "No! No, there's got to be someone else. I don't want to see him Jack, I can't…we don't need him." she begged him and he relented. "Ok, we'll find someone else." he said and she smiled. "Thanks, Jack." she said to him.

As Rose and Jack stood there outside of Torchwood, both reeling from news they had just heard…something dawned on Jack. "Rose? How do you feel about this? I mean…living forever? I mean, I remember how I felt when I first realized it…how do you feel?" he asked her. After a pause, she answered. "I don't know…I mean, the Doctor always made it sound so horrible. Outliving everyone around him…watching everyone he loved die…being alone. But then you…I'm not saying all of that doesn't bother you as well, but you just seem so much more positive about it. I guess…I don't know." she responded. "Well…Gwen seems to think it's a good thing. She thinks that now you and I will be together forever." he quietly said to her. With that thought, Rose's face slowly lit up with a smile. "I hadn't thought of that, but maybe she's right….maybe this is a good thing. Looks like you're stuck with me then!" she said, smiling at him. "You mean it? You're really happy about this?" he asked her, bending down to look into her eyes. "Ya, guess I am…you got me forever!" she said to him. In a moment of sheer excitement, Jack picked up Rose in his arms and spun her around…her face buried into his shoulder and arms wrapped around his neck…laughter erupting from her lips. "You have no idea how happy this makes me. I love you!" he said to her as his hand moved to cup her cheek. "I love you too, Jack!" she replied. Jack leaned forward and kissed Rose. Just as Jack was pulling back from the kiss, his eyes stopped at someone standing behind them in the distance.

In the distance, Jack saw a tall, thin man in a pinstriped suit and long coat…watching them. The man's eyes fixed on the pair of them, hurt and anger seeping from his eyes. Behind the man, was the Tardis. Although he hadn't seen this recent incarnation of the Doctor, Jack knew it was him. Jack knew that he had come back for Rose…and he wasn't happy with what he was seeing. "Jack? What is it? What's wrong?" Rose asked him as she noticed him tense up, a guarded look over his face. Jack didn't say anything, but instead nodded behind her. Rose turned around to see what he was looking at and her heart stopped when she saw the Doctor watching her in the distance. She held his gaze for a moment, before breaking eye contact and turning back towards Jack. Rose was suddenly flooded with emotions she thought she had gotten over. She thought she had gotten over the hurt the Doctor had caused her, but now that he was standing there looking at her…she realized her broken heart wasn't quite healed after all. She loved Jack tremendously, but broken promises were still eating at her. "I guess the Tardis listened after all. I told her to wait at least a couple of years before letting him come after me." she said. "By the look on his face, I'd say he just lost you. I don't think the Doctor is the kind of man who likes to wait." Jack said to her. "Guess I was hoping he wouldn't come after me at all…figured he wouldn't care once I was gone." she said to Jack.

Standing there, staring the Doctor in the eyes with his arms wrapped around the woman he knew the Doctor loved, Jack expected the Doctor to charge forward and rip her from his arms. Although Rose was dead set on thinking the Doctor never cared about her, Jack knew otherwise. To his surprise though, the Doctor took a deep breath and hung his head…as if in defeat. Jack was shocked…the Doctor never accepted defeat. He watched as the Doctor looked back up at Jack, then move his eyes to Rose…looking as if tears would fall any moment. The Doctor turned away from them and headed back towards his Tardis. "He's leaving." Jack said to Rose, almost confused. Rose whipped hear head around to see the Doctor walking away from her once again. She had always thought that the Doctor didn't care enough about her to miss her once she left, but standing there looking at him…knowing he came after her…she had expected him to run up to her and beg her to come back with him. She didn't expect to see him walking away without a fight…as if to say "I'm done." Watching as the Doctor approached his Tardis, Rose once again felt abandoned by the Doctor.

As he stood there and watched Jack and Rose together, the Doctor realized that this must be what a broken heart felt like…or broken hearts, because this hurt twice as much as he thought it would. It seemed that the Doctor hadn't realized just how much he had loved Rose Tyler until he had lost her. When she turned around and looked at him, his chest tightened. There she was, staring into his eyes, and all he could see in hers was hurt when she saw him…until she looked away from him. This was all his fault and he had just realized the amount of damage he had done…and he could think of nothing to do to make it better. Rose deserved better than him…she deserved to be happy and she obviously was happy with Jack. The Doctor felt defeated, he took in a deep breath to stop tears that were threatening to fall and looked down, away from the happy couple in front of him. The Doctor had messed up big time and missed his chance. He had lost Rose and now it was time for him to leave her to live her life and for him to live his…alone. The Doctor turned and walked back towards his ship, stopping one last time in the doorway to look at Rose and say a silent goodbye to her. As he turned around, his heart stopped when he saw Rose was watching him…her face looked heartbroken…and all he could think of was that he had done that to her. However, with his eyes locked onto Rose's, his hearts began to beat in double-time when he saw her eyes glowing gold as she watched him. The Doctor froze…a look of panic struck across his face. He had not seen Rose's eyes glowing that color since the Game Station…when she took in the Time Vortex. But that was impossible…he had taken it out of her. So how could it be in her now?

In the distance, it seemed as though Jack had noticed the look on the Doctor's face as he saw Jack grab Rose's head and turn it back towards her. He watched as Jack looked into Rose's eyes and an expression came over his face that was more startled than scared. Apparently, this didn't surprise Jack and a jealously bubbled up in his stomach. It seemed as though they had already known. That was the Doctor's cue…they didn't need him and if they wanted his help, they would have asked. As the Doctor prepared to turn back around and close the Tardis doors, he was stopped by someone standing in his ship in front of him. "Oi! What the hell is this?!" yelled Mickey, looking as though he had just woken up from a long sleep and waving an opened letter in his face. The Tardis had placed Rose's letter to Mickey on his nightstand for him to find when he woke up and it seemed he was none too happy about it. "Rose is gone." replied the Doctor, rather somberly. "Ya, I got that…how could she just leave like that. I mean, I don't care if she leaves you, but she didn't even tell me…after all we've been through!" Mickey yelled at him. "I'm sorry, Mickey." the Doctor said. "Bloody hell you are! This is all your fault! If you hadn't broken her heart and run off to leave us to die for some French bimbo, she'd still be here!" Mickey yelled and this time, the Doctor didn't have a response. Mickey was right. "Wait a minute?! If she's gone, then why do I see her standing right there…with Captain Cheesecake? What's going on?" he yelled again at the Doctor as he pointed to the Rose he saw standing outside. The Doctor tried to stop Mickey from going after the future Rose by putting an arm in front of him, but to no avail. "Mickey, you can't go out there. That Rose is from five years in the future…she's not your Rose!" the Doctor warned him. "I don't bloody care what year it is! I want some answers!" he said as he pushed the Doctor's arm out of the way and stormed out of the Tardis towards Rose and Jack.

As the Doctor watched Mickey storm off towards Rose, he turned back into his Tardis and headed for the console…leaving the doors open for Mickey when he returned. If Mickey wanted to get his answers, that was fine with him…but he wouldn't be a part of it and clearly Rose and Jack didn't want him to be. The Doctor approached the console and began doing a scan of Rose. Since she was in such close proximity to the Tardis, it wasn't hard for his ship to pull it off, but the Doctor wasn't ready for what he had found. The monitor informed him that Rose was indeed part of the Time Vortex again and somehow her body was sustaining it. Unfortunately, he couldn't get many more answers without Rose being in the ship and he was confident that was something that would never happen again. Just then, the Doctor was pulled out of his thoughts by a yell from outside. "Doctor!" he heard Mickey yell. "Get out here!" The Doctor ran to the doors and leaned his head out. "Doctor, get over here!" Mickey yelled at him again. Reluctantly, the Doctor set foot out his ship and began walking towards Rose, Mickey, and Jack. He could see from where he was that Rose was trying to convince Mickey everything was ok. A lump formed in the Doctor's throat. Clearly, Rose didn't want to talk to him. As he got closer, Mickey pointed at Rose and yelled at him. "Will you look at her eyes?! What the bloody hell is wrong with her!?" he yelled.

Quickly, the Doctor's eyes flittered to Rose and it only took a second for him to take in the whole scene. Rose was standing opposite of the Doctor, her hand entwined with Jack's while he stood in front of her protectively…Mickey on the other side of her, gaping at her eyes. When he noticed that Rose was avoiding his eyes, he looked away towards Mickey. "It's ok Doctor, you might as well tell us. I know you were in there trying to figure it out." The Doctor heard Jack say to him. The Doctor let out a large sigh before responding. "The Time Vortex." he said. "What does that mean?" Jack asked him. Looking down at his feet, the Doctor responded. "It seems like Rose still has some of the Time Vortex in her…that's where the gold eyes come from. I guess I didn't get it all out of her after all." he said. "Ya, no shit. Is that why she can't die?" Jack asked him. "What?! What do you mean she can't die?!" yelled Mickey as the Doctor's head snapped up towards them in astonishment as well. He looked from Jack to Rose, who still wasn't looking at him, and then back to Jack. "What do you mean she can't die Jack?" he asked him. "Just found out…my team ran some tests and found out that her whole physiology is changing…she can't die. We don't know if she can regenerate, we just know her body isn't able to die." said Jack. The Doctor suddenly felt a panic spreading over him. This shouldn't be possible…keeping the vortex in her head would have killed Rose, not changed her. How was this possible? Suddenly, he froze as a new thought popped in his head. Rose would now live for a very long time…maybe even longer than he would…and she wouldn't be spending it with him. She would be spending her forever with Jack now…and the final pieces of his heart shattered.

He looked over to Rose, who looked like she was cutting off the circulation to Jack's hand. "Rose?" the Doctor quietly said to her. He was surprised when she actually turned to look at him and he didn't know whether to be happy or sad that she made eye contact. "Rose, do you feel ok?" he asked her. "I'm always ok." she said to him somberly, sadness still evident in her eyes and the Doctor gulped. "This should be impossible. You shouldn't be able to sustain having all of that power in you, but it seems that instead of killing you, it has changed you." the Doctor said to her. "Will I ever be able to die?" she asked him. "Well, you are linked to the Time Vortex through the Tardis. As long as the Tardis lives, you will live…which will be a very, very long time…no matter where you are." he explained to her. She nodded. The Doctor wanted to run to her, wrap his arms around her and never let go…but she wasn't his anymore. He was no comfort to her, so he looked away. "What about me, Doc?" he suddenly heard Jack ask. "What happened to me?" Jack asked. The Doctor looked over to Rose, who was now watching him curiously. He had never told her what had happened to Jack and now in their current situation, he was scared to. He had already broken her heart and now she might hate him even more, but he reluctantly explained. "Rose…" the Doctor began as hers, Jacks, and Mickeys eyes all went wide. "What?" she asked nervously. "When Rose took in the Time Vortex, not only did she kill all of the Daleks…but she also brought you back to life, Jack." he said as she watched Jack turn and look at Rose. Her face was stunned and tears began falling from her eyes. It was evident that she couldn't believe what she had done. "Only, she didn't know how to control it…she brought you back forever." the Doctor said.

As both Jack and Rose stood there stunned into silence, the Doctor had wished he had never said it…but they both deserved to know at last. Rose turned towards Jack and buried her head in his chest. "I'm so sorry, Jack!" she sobbed. "Hey, it's ok Rose." he said to her as he lifted her chin with his finger so he could look in her eyes. "It all worked out, didn't it? I mean, who else would you have to spend eternity with, huh?" Jack said to her. Jack's words cut at the Doctor like a knife and with that, he turned and once again headed back towards his Tardis. "So that's it then, Doc? You just gonna walk away again?" Jack yelled after him. The Doctor slowly turned around, too hurt to be angry at his words. "What do you want me to do Jack? You don't need me anymore." he said before turning to look at Rose. "Do you?" he asked her. Rose wouldn't look at him, which gave him his answer. The Doctor nodded his head in understanding. She didn't want him anymore. "Mickey, I can take you back to your time…if you want?" the Doctor asked him. Mickey turned to look at Rose, who gave him a sad smile. "You sure you won't change your mind? Come with us again?" he asked Rose. "I'm not the one he wants, remember? He'll be fine without me. Besides, got a great life here…" Rose said to Mickey quietly, obviously not expecting the Doctor to hear her. "That's not true." the Doctor said quietly and Rose's head snapped towards him, her brows furrowed. "I'm not fine without you. Please…" he said to her, looking straight into her eyes. Rose took a deep breath as a single tear fell from her eye. She turned and looked away from him for a moment, trying to gather the strength to say what she needed to…then she turned back to him. The Doctor's face pleaded with her to come with him. "You made your choice quite clear Doctor…and I think so have I." she said to him as she took a step closer to Jack. He couldn't stop them now…tears started to fall from the Doctor's eyes as he turned away.


End file.
